The Mekong river and the past of the Golden Triangle
Heavy rain knocking on the roof takes me slowly away from my dream and worries slip instead into my mind as I made up my travel plans for my journey on the mighty Mekong river. But setting my first steps in the early morning while the city is awaking for a new busy day, the sun takes a change to claim its right place - and gone are my grey thoughts. Beside the street dogs feeding on the garbage bags of last nights mobile food stalls, only a few monks are joining me on the street, walking with their still empty food baskets from door to door in exchange for prayers. Soon the city will turn into a modern jungle for pedestrians, with dangerous and sometime hazardous movements to cross a steadily growing flow of cars and motorbikes. The latter conquer like ants the last sanctuaries of strange people like myself: walking through the city on foot from one corner to another, challenging my philosophy of "the journey is the reward". One hour later I am on my way up North, enjoyi